Grand Rapids Magazine

Assisted by the tugboats Nickelena and Erika Kobasic, the Silversides leaves its berth for the first time in nearly four decades. Photo by Rob Alway. One of the most significant museum ship preservation projects ever undertaken on the Great Lakes began July 13 of this year when World War II submarine USS Silversides departed Muskegon for a carefully planned tow across Lake Michigan to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of City of Grand Rapdis. Grand Rapids is trading one fleet of two-wheeled urban chaos for another — but city officials say the new rides will be safer, cheaper and easier to park. If you’ve spent any time driving, walking or otherwise attempting to exist peacefully on the streets of Grand Rapids, you probably have an opinion about shared scooters and bikes.

Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Children's Museum. Ever since the U.S. put men on the moon, outer space has captured the imaginations of generations of children, inspiring make-believe missions, moon bases and spacecraft bound for distant worlds. At the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, that fascination has a new place to take off.

Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Downtown Market. There are few places in Grand Rapids where a group of people can walk in hungry and completely disagree about what they want to eat — and somehow everybody still wins. That’s the beauty of the Downtown Market. Think of it as the city’s food court, if the city’s food court happened to be filled with local entrepreneurs, specialty food makers, full-blown restaurants and concepts you probably wouldn’t find anywhere else under the same roof.

Photo by Debby Buck DeJonge. Wish you were here. That’s what the postcard reads as you check in to The Grand Beach in Traverse City, Michigan. It’s a nice little way to remind the lucky they truly are on vacation. Smiling faces greet the weary traveler and attend to their every need, including offering a continental breakfast delivered to their door at sunrise.

Village of Ada courtesy photo. Ada has changed quite a bit over the years. The village has developed a distinctly different look and feel, particularly around its downtown, where new restaurants, shops, housing and gathering spaces have created a town center that feels a long way from the Ada of a few decades ago. And yet, right in the middle of it all, the covered bridge remains.

Morning Belle courtesy photo. Brunch has become quite a thing. Yep, the meal that was once largely associated with little old lady get-togethers, bottomless coffee and perhaps a plate of eggs and toast has gotten a pretty serious makeover in recent years. And Grand Rapids has been right there for it, with restaurants turning brunch into everything from a weekend social event to an excuse to try something decidedly more interesting than the standard breakfast plate.

If you’ve ever made a mad dash to catch the bus, Grand Rapids wants to know what you think about where that ride — and other transit investments — should go next. The City of Grand Rapids’ Mobile GR Department is asking residents to weigh in on how the city should invest in transit access in the coming fiscal year, with more than $2 million currently allocated each year to the DASH downtown circulator.

Wizard of Oz Flying Monkey and Flying Tree statues (L. Frank Baum’s “Wonderful Wizard of Oz”} at Herrick District Library, in Holland, Michigan. Artist: Brodin Studios. There’s no place like Holland — especially if you’re a Wizard of Oz fan. L.

Photo courtesy of Robinette's. The West Michigan fall tradition is joining farms across North America in celebrating the country music icon—and supporting local kids along the way. For Grand Rapids-area kids and families, the arrival of fall has long meant a trip to Robinette’s: apples, cider, wagon rides, baked goods and, of course, getting a little lost in the corn maze. This year, one of country music’s biggest icons is joining the tradition. Robinette’s courtesy art.